Sweeter than a Tomato
by MarshallLeesBaby
Summary: "Wake up, Adventure girl; You've got so many things to do-o-oo; But don't run away, don't go; I just wanted to talk with you; Your face, flushed, and free; Please, won't you fly tonight, with me?" A winding love story where Marshall Lee fights to win Fionna's heart.
1. Rock Too Hard

"SKADOW!"

Fionna raised her sword above her head as she basked in her triumph over the Cute Queen. Her miniature army fled while she followed, shouting adorable vows of revenge.

It wasn't a huge victory, but Fionna would take any battle over spending another whole day stuffing her face with ice cream and playing video games with Cake. Things had been quiet in the land of Aaa for about a month now and Fionna was itching for some heroic action.

She put away her sword and decided to head home. It was getting dark and Cake would be back from Lord Monochromicorn's soon, but Fionna drug her feet as she scuffed along. Soon she was looking up at the familiar pink castle, smiling at how many times she had saved it from doom and destruction. The Candy Kingdom smelled delicious as she walked past the gates, like chocolate, peppermint, and gingerbread wrapped up in a gooey ball of goodness. Prince Gumball must be in his lab.

Thinking of him made Fionna blush in a embarrassed way. A year ago, she would have rushed inside to see how she could help, just to spend time with the prince. She knew better though. Fionna had learned the hard way PG didn't like her like that, and she was over it. No need to go inside and tie him up.

A chill filled the air. Instead of shivering, Fionna giggled and turned around to see Marshall Lee hovering on his back lazily, guitar in hand.

"Marshall Lee!"

"What up Fi? Trying to get a whiff of Prince Dumbball? Want me to help you write a sappy love song?"

Fionna could barely pick up her fists before Marshall closed his eyes and contorted his face into something that mocked sadness.

_Oh my Prince, you're pretty in pink_  
><em>I have to say it, don't care what you think<em>  
><em>You got my stupid bunny ears all in a twist<em>  
><em>Prince Gumwad, why am I last on your list?<em>

Fionna swung at Marshall as he flipped in the air to dodge her with an chuckle.

"Chill out girl, he's not worth it."

"Can it, jerk!" Fionna aimed for this smiling face, but he was too quick. As he moved, his axe guitar caught the blow.

"OOOOOUCH!" Fionna fell to the ground and held her shaking wrist.

Marshall immediately planted his chucks on the ground, crouched down, and grabbed her hand.

"Dude, your punches are harsh." His brow furrowed as he realized she had diced her hand as well as half her arm.

"Get off me!" She tried to pull away, but it was like her fingers were wedged between two stones. As tears began to well up in her eyes, she tried to think of an escape. No way she was going to let him see her cry. Heroes don't cry, especially in front of Vampire Kings.

"Cake is probably worried about me, I gotta go." She pleaded. She sniffled and again attempted to tear away.

"Nope. I was just chillin at your place before I came here, and Cake wasn't even home yet." His eyes hadn't left her blood soaked limb. "Dang babe, you look like a diced tomato!" Marshall smiled as he lifted his gaze from her wound to her face, and licked his lips with a wink.

"Hey! What were you doing in our house anyway?" Fionna scowled as he smirked at her.

"Look, it was my house before it was yours. I write some sick stuff in there, yo." He paused and his face fell, "But seriously, we need to fix this." Marshall made a grand gesture of slinging his guitar around to his back, picked up Fionna, and added, "And after that, we can fix you too."

With a demonic wink, they were off into the sky. The rush of cool air burned Fionna's injury as Marshall Lee whisked her away to his house.

**Author's Note: This first chapter is a little short, but chapters get longer as the story progresses.**

**Reviews and feedback are extremely welcome!**


	2. Wake up, Adventure Girl

By the time that the two had finally arrived at Marshall's house, Fionna was resting her head on his shoulder and had nearly fallen asleep. Her blue shirt had one dark sleeve where her blood had completely drenched the thin fabric. Marshall's plaid garment was stained with Fionna's silent tears and nose goop, but he pretended not to notice or care.

"We're here." He said flatly as his feet hit the living room floor with a plunk.

"Mrrr." Fionna grumbled as she tried to plant her stems on the ground too, but Marshall cradled her body to the couch.

"Stay still. I'll get some stuff to clean you up." Jokes and teasing weren't any fun right now. Fionna was pretty pale, and he knew she was getting worse. Like, what the lump man? She should know better than to be so clumsy. His guitar was sharp enough to split candy cane stripes, and she had rammed her dang fist into it like a sledgehammer. It was her fault, but he still felt bad about it. He grabbed some vials from his medicine cabinet, bandages, clean clothes, and a tub of warm water with a washcloth.

"Can uh...you take your clothes off?" Marshall's toes turned inward as he looked down and scratched his head, playing it cool.

"WHAT?" Fionna immediately sat upright and immediately regretted it. The searing pain made her face contort and her body shake.

"Chill dude." Marshall sat next to her and put one hand on her back. He half laughed and said, "Hey, I don't mind helping, but I don't want to creep you out without trying. Takes the sport out of it. But I'm sure you want to get into some clean clothes. I didn't know if you could do it with your arm all janked up."

Fionna sighed and actually contemplated the question. It hurt like heck, but she'd do it. Marshall already flirted with her enough and she didn't want to give him any more material to work with.

"I got it. Just...you know, turn around."

"Aw, your rescuer doesn't even get a reward?" Marshall teased as he floated a 180 to look the other way.

"Shut it, loser." Fionna had zero spunk to her voice. Ouch. She must really be hurting, he thought. He heard the rustle of the fabrics as he tried not to picture the scene behind him.

"Done." Marshall heard Fionna give the all-clear as she plopped back on the couch. She looked like a fan girl after one of his shows with his t-shirt and pajama pants on. Her long blonde hair was a mess as it fell over the arm of the sofa where her bunny hat puddled lifeless on the other side. Her eyes were closed tight, like she was trying to wrap her brain around the pain. Marshall knelt beside her on the floor.

"Okay girly, this is going to hurt but it'll make it better. Promise not to wreck my face with your meat mitts?" He smiled as he played to her ego.

"Promise, but only because this is your fault!" Fionna turned her head away and pouted.

"Yea, whatever." Marshall didn't care to pick at her like this, so he just continued to wash her arm. She only winced a few times, but he could see Fionna was trying to prove she was tough. Once he got the bloody mess washed away, Marshall saw how badly she was diced. The cut was deep and started at her middle knuckle ending at her elbow. As soon as the water fell off her skin, the sticky red liquid came back to the surface with a vengeance.

Quickly, Marshall grabbed the blue vial at his feet and poured it over the wound. Immediately the blood turned dark like a scab and her skin started to pull itself back together. He wrapped it all in a large bandage, not too tight, but intricately enough that the little adventurer couldn't pull it off in her sleep. He propped her head up with a couch pillow and wrapped her in a bright red blanket.

"Drink this, Bunny-babe." Fionna opened her eyes to see Marshall holding a pink vial to her lips. She took it down with one gulp, then her eyes shot wide open.

"Oh my glob, Marshall, it's hot as fire!" With her good hand she clasped her throat as if to soothe it.

"Duh. You lost a lot of blood dummy, gotta get you warmed back up somehow. Now move your legs." He picked up her legs without waiting for a response, sat down, and rested them on his lap. Whipping around his guitar he started to strum a wandering melody and hum.

Fionna was quiet for a while, just listening to Marshall play made her feel better, she didn't need some weirdo vampire juice. She did have to admit it helped though. Shrugging, she closed her eyes.

_Wake up, Adventure girl _

_You've got so many things to do-o-oo_  
><em>hm...hm...hm..<em>  
><em>...hmhmm...<em>  
><em>Your face, flushed, and free<em>  
><em>Hm Hm...hm..Hm, with me?<em>

_Dear little Adventure girl..._

Fionna squirmed a little on the couch with her eyes shut. She could hear Marshall moving around his house while he hummed a new song she had never heard. It was nice. She became aware of how sore she was and decided she needed to get up and get her limbs working.

"Finally up, sleepy bunny? Starting to think I was going to have to scare you awake!" With a hiss, Marshall morphed his face into a bat. Fionna giggled, this always made her laugh. It was obvious he was trying to brighten her spirits. "How's the arm, you really put the hurt to it yesterday. Luckily the mean old Vampire King came to your aid. How about a thank you kiss?" He floated on his back over to Fionna, lips puckered, taunting her.

She shoved him away instinctively, then paused in awe to look at the bandage wrapping up her right limb. "Whoa, dude. You globbin fixed it up perfect. I don't feel a thing." Giggling some more she threw some punches in the air, laughing each time at the lack of discomfort.

"Hey!" Marshall laughed too, "I made that happen, yo. I deserve some mad respect." He flipped to his stomach and crossed his arms in front of him to rest his chin. Fionna picked up her bunny hat, stuffed her hair underneath, and approached him while blushing furiously.

"Uhm, thanks for fixing my noodle so good." Marshall smirked and raised an eyebrow to imply there should be more. "...and thanks for like, not letting me die and stuff." Fionna looked down at the floor, finally accepting he had done her a huge solid.

Sticking his feet to the ground, Marshall grabbed Fiona's bandaged hand in his and brought it to his face. She stared wide-eyed at him. "Hey, I may need your blood some day, couldn't have you dying on me now could I? Plus, now this arm practically belongs to me." His lips swiftly approached, then Marshall Lee licked her hand.

Instantly Fionna pulled her hand away, "Ew, gross dude!"

"Haha! You shoulda seen your face." Marshall reclined in the air. The moment passed.

"Well," Fionna suddenly felt a weird vibe between herself and the Vampire King. It made her uneasy, "I better get going, Ice Queen should be up to trouble again any day now." With that she grabbed her backpack and soiled clothes, sprinting to the door. She opened it and paused...turning back to see a Marshall Lee looking almost sad she was going so soon. "But yea, thanks man." The door shut and she was gone.

Marshall floated in silence for a few minutes while his house settled back to normal. He grabbed his guitar and started strumming.

_Wake up, Adventure girl _

_You've got so many things to do-o-oo  
>But don't run away, don't go<br>I just wanted to talk with you  
>Your face, flushed, and free<br>Please, won't you fly tonight, with me?_

**Author's Note: Thank you for reading! Reviews and feedback are extremely welcome!**


	3. Jam Session

Fionna kept running after leaving Marshall's house until she couldn't anymore. Bracing herself with one hand against a tree, she doubled over and finally tried to sort through all the thoughts that were chasing her. Marshall had always flirted with her before, but he was only trying to make her feel uncomfortable. For some reason though, she wasn't so sure if he really was teasing this time. The thought made Fionna blush. "Jeez! Why do I even care?" she thought. Maybe Cake could help her sort this out. She pulled off her bandage and found that her arm was back to normal, not even a scratch!

"Sick, Marshall." She said to herself as she smiled and ran the rest of the way to the tree house.

* * *

><p>"My baby's home! Give me some love, sugar!" Cake wrapped herself like a snake around Fionna, making the girl giggle. Her cat eyes widened and shone bright as she began to recall each detail of her night with Lord Monochromicorn. Fionna listened intently, soaking in every word to distract her from the flip flops her brain was doing over the evening with Marshall.<p>

"And then he stomped me goodbye!" Cake sighed and collapsed back onto the couch in bliss. Fionna hugged her knees on the other side and tilted her head, causing her bunny ears to flop over. Should she tell Cake about Marshall at all? Would she get mad at him? Or worse, what if she tried to make her get all girly for Marshall like she did when Ice Queen impersonated Prince Gumball?

"What did you do while I was gone, Fi? Conquer some monsters? Punch some warlocks?" Cake acted out the heroic acts as she inquired.

"Oh, not much. Ice Queen must be busy with her own weird biz, cause all I've done is played with the Box Princess and scared away the Cute Queen." Fionna got up to get some ice cream so that her sister couldn't see the red hue on her cheeks.

"Cute Queen again? Girl's gotta recognize she ain't _that _sweet." Cake paused and imagined their last encounter with her and how she'd bounced the little royal around like a yarn ball. "Okay, maybe she is," her paw came to her cheek.

"Haha, yea. It's hard whoop up on a fluff ball." Fionna handed a bucket of ice cream to Cake who shaped her tail into a scoop. After Fiona got settled on the couch with a huge spoon and a bucket of her own, Cake said something she didn't expect.

"So what's up with Marshall Lee?"

"Hruuh?" Fionna jerked her head up with a mouth full of frozen deliciousness. Her eyes were wide and her face took a shade of scarlet.

"He hasn't done a show, in like, forever yo! And I'm ready to get my rock on!" The cat stood on the couch and began to play her snack like a guitar.

"Oh!" Of course there was no way Cake could know about last night. "Yea, I don't know. Weird." She shrugged it off.

"That boy is in some serious need of a tannin' bed." Cake brought a third hand to her chin in thought, "You know, I haven't even _seen_ him in forever either!" He had probably seen them, Fionna thought. She recalled how he had admitted to her that he comes to their house to write songs. "Say, let's go bug the strawberry sucker! I'll bring my maracas and we'll jam!" Cake pulled her little egg shakers out and began to dance around.

In a panic, Fionna struggled to come up with an excuse not to go back to Marshall Lee's house, "Uhm, I doubt he would want us just barging in on him, you know? Dude's got stuff to do!" She desperately hoped Cake would drop it.

"Oh, whatever. He'll love it. Plus, Marshall Lee got a little somethin-somethin for you girl! Haha!" She poked fun at Fionna and started down the stairs, calling for her to catch up.

Fionna sighed. She couldn't act like a spazzoid after not telling Cake about Marshall saving her life. But on the other hand, what would he think if she just showed up to his house again? Reluctantly, she stood up, climbed down to the door, and joined her furry friend.

* * *

><p>Fionna felt her legs getting heavier with each step as the adventurers passed through the white gate of Marshall's yard. The whole way over she had tried to think of how to either get out of this whole mess, tell Cake, or make sure Marshall didn't accidentally spill the beans. Even if she did get him to close his fly trap, what would he think of her keeping a night with him from her best friend?<p>

Cake briskly jumped up the stairs to the door, "Knock Knock, Vampy-boy! Let's get this party STARTED!" Immediately, a smiling Marshall Lee appeared at the entrance.

"Hey!" He chuckled, "Couldn't stay away, huh?" he winked at Fionna making a blush rush to her face. Luckily, Cake didn't notice. She simply walked past him leaving the two to follow her.

"Of course not spooky. It's been like a month since we got to seriously throw down the tunes!" Cake grew three times her size and started furiously shaking her maracas again.

"Oooooh," He got it, Fionna wasn't sharing. "That's cool," he thought, "makes this even more fun." He turned to the little adventure girl and grinned showing his sharp fangs. "You're right Cake," his eyes locked with Fionna's, "It has been too long."

Marshall laughed, swiftly grabbed his guitar, and started jamming with the cat. All Fionna could do was join in and go along for the ride.

**Author's Note: Thank you for reading! Reviews and feedback are extremely welcome!**


	4. A Dream and a Date?

It had been two weeks since Fionna had stumbled through an awkward jam session with Marshall and Cake. The three of them had a great time and made some crazy sick music, but every so often, she would find Marshall looking at her with a smirk or he would casually hint at the fact Fionna had slept on his couch the night before. It's like he was trying to freak her out! By the time they left, Cake still had no clue about Marshall's heroic act and Fionna was stressed to the max.

Since then, Fionna was trying to get back into her adventurer groove, kicking monster butt and saving the Candy Kingdom from impending doom. Finally, after an exhausting two week stint of non-stop action, she bundled herself in her sleeping bag and nestled into bed after wishing Cake goodnight. The softness of her bed soothed her easily. The warm fabric surrounded her and made her feel safe. Fionna sighed, releasing the tension of her wacked out life and found peace in slumber.

* * *

><p>With a jerk, Fionna sat upright in her bed, panting hard. It was hot, too hot, and she felt unsettled. She looked around her room and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Cake was sleeping soundly in her drawer, Beemo's screen had a soft glow in the corner, and the open window let in a small breeze and the moonbeams from a clear night. Everything was okay, until Fionna realized she hadn't left the window open…<p>

In a fearful panic, she hopped like a worm across the room to close the panel, but just as her fingers were about to clasp the ledge, the window slammed shut. Still like stone, Fionna didn't move out of fright. She glanced over at Cake still sound asleep and wondered if she was dreaming. That was a good enough explanation for her.

"Aaaaaand into the vault. Kerplunk!" Fionna whispered to herself. Like a sneaky sack race, she quietly jumped in her sleeping back to her bed, closed her eyes, and nuzzled into a comfy position. Suddenly she felt cold. Fionna opened her eyes to see that the window was indeed still shut. She balled herself up tighter and felt the cool sensation intensify.

It wasn't unpleasant. It was almost calming. Fionna took a deep breath and realized she could fill her vault with a few more things that didn't make sense. Accepting this made the chill even more enjoyable. She began to hum to herself a winding melody. She couldn't remember where she'd heard it, probably during some adventure to a foreign land or even by a stranger in the Candy Kingdom, but it made her feel nice. Soon, sleep met Fionna again and she was transported to a dream with no shape or plot, but simply an emotion of happiness.

Marshall Lee became visible, wrapped around Fionna, and picked up where she left off _his _song. Humming along, he gently brushed Fionna's dangling bangs away from her face and she smiled in her sleep. He stopped and gasped.

"Oh Fi," he whispered to himself and smiled, "I've got it for you bad. I don't know where you've been these few weeks…but I missed you." And with a tight embrace, Marshall became invisible again, holding Fionna close until morning when he floated away without a peep.

* * *

><p>The next morning Fionna woke up to Cake singing downstairs and the smell of bacon pancakes wafting up the staircase. She flipped onto her back and settled her thoughts. It was such a pretty day today judging by what she saw from the window, and she and Cake had earned a break from adventuring. Her extreme trip of heroic deeds had really been a distraction from not knowing what to do about Marshall Lee and that weird night with him. Why did she care so much? Why was it such a big deal? She still didn't want to tell Cake, especially now that she'd be hurt for not being told sooner, and even that felt a little wonky. With nothing else to do, Fionna unzipped her sleeping armor and went downstairs to fill her stomach with delicious breakfast.<p>

Cake was buzzing in the kitchen donning a frilly apron and a chef's hat.

"Good mornin' sleepy head! Momma's got some bacon pancakes to get my baby ready to take on the world!" Cake was beaming as she set a mound taller than herself of flapjacks on Fionna's plate.

"Wowhowhow!" Fionna giggled, "This is giamungus!" and with a breath, she dug deep into her plate. Cheeks full of fluffiness, she mumbled "Thrrks Crrrke!"

"Oh, you're welcome sugar!" Cake then transitioned into a sultry, deep, velvety voice, "I make 'em with love." And began to eat her fill.

"I, too, like Cake's cakes!" Beemo declared before flopping face first onto a plate with a single pancake.

After they had stuffed themselves, the two cleaned up the kitchen and decided to lay out on the top of the tree and watch the clouds.

"Say, Fionna," Cake began after they'd gazed at the sky for a while, "what do you say to me moving in with Lord Monochromicorn?"

"What?" Fionna snapped her head to the side to look at Cake who appeared to be extremely nervous. Sensing this, Fionna flipped to her side and rested her head on her hand, "I mean, if that's what you want to do. Isn't that a little…soon?"

Cake blushed, "I know, but, I really like him girl. He wants me to live with him, and he wouldn't really be comfortable at our place. I promise we'll still be together every day, I'll just stay there at night instead!" As she finished, her eyes got huge and watery with a pouty lip.

Fionna giggled, "Of course Cake, you can do what you want to do, as long as you don't start slackin' on the job!" Fionna teased as she began to tickle Cake. They settled down and looked at the sky again, Fionna began to think about her own future. If Cake was moving in with her boyfriend, should she be looking for someone to do that with too? Fionna blushed at the thought, and instantly thought of Marshall Lee. Picturing him in her brain just made her shut her eyes tightly, shake her head, and blush more!

Fionna laid still for about a minute, and like magic, when she opened her eyes she saw no other than Marshall Lee hovering above her.

Fionna screamed and leaped up to kick him in the face, but as her foot swung around he dodged it effortlessly.

"Whoa, cool it Fi!" He said as he was laughing. Marshall set his feel on the ground and ran his fingers through his hair, playing it cool. "I just came over here to see if you two wanted to jam at my place tonight."

Cake hopped up in excitement, "Ooooh, she'd love too!"

Surprised and still jumpy, Fionna interjected, "Wha-, what about you, Cake?"

"Oh, well mama's got a hot date tonight after bein' away so long, but you too have fun! Speakin' of which, I need to go get sexy!" Cake fluffed her fur and stretched into the house leaving Marshall and Fionna alone.

Everything had happened so fast, Fionna didn't know what to say. She just stared at the vampire king. He smiled and began to float again.

"Guess we got a hot date too, huh?" he laughed as Fionna came to her wits and swung a fist at him, "I'll pick you up at 7. See ya babe." With a wink, Marshall got out of range and began to fly away, only to turn around after a few feet, "Oh, and um, wear something…nice?" He blushed and vanished, leaving Fionna with clenched fists and a red face.

**Author's Note: Thank you for reading! Reviews and feedback are extremely welcome!**


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